THE National Empowerment Fund (NEF) and Bakubung Platinum Mine (BPM) conducted an information-sharing Open Day targeting Black local entrepreneurs for the NEF’s and BPM’s Enterprise and Supplier Development Fund (ESD) – on Tuesday, 25 March 2025, at Ledig Village.
BPM Communications Specialist PrudenceMotswatswe said the mine is currently engaging with the community to find common ground. This Open Day follows a partnership between the NEF and BPM, where BPM’s R 3 Million ESD Fund matched by NEF aims to boost of Black-owned local enterprises and Small to Medium Enterprises (SMMEs) in economic participation.The ESD fund enables qualifying community-based enterprises access to a grant funding of up to R 20 000.00; and interest-free loans of up to R 750 000.00 for local suppliers and entrepreneurs.
The Open Day served as a platform of enabling those without access to social media to walk-in and receive ESD Fund-related information within their reach. In this, community members were afforded the opportunity to learn about this exciting opportunity and application process.This Open Day attracted a significant amount of local community entrepreneurs, with a recorded number of 152 individuals that visited our information-sharing stall.
Grant Applications were only open from 17 March 2025 to 31 March 2025. Applications submitted after this period will not be accepted. Loan Applications will be accepted on a continuous basis until the allocated funds are fully committed. The next steps to follow after receipt of applications will include an assessment of applications, where further engagements will be limited to qualifying entities only.
Business owners expressed their excitement about the opportunity and its significant.“We are grateful for the opportunity. It is crucial to have the right resources to make our businesses successful.”
They also emphasised that it is inspiring to see such partnership that seeks to give back to communities.
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